Dark Paradise
by CupcakeBatter
Summary: How exactly they went from 'Do you want me to give you a lift home' to being stuck in his car, in a snow drift no less, she has no idea. All she knows is that she's freezing. Wren & Spencer - AU.


**AU Version of 2x21 – let's just pretend Spencer doesn't actually live a few blocks down the road from the bar where she runs into Wren. And that it's winter. (And that this all kind of makes sense, too, maybe.)**

* * *

><p>How exactly they went from <em>Do you want me to give you a lift home?<em> to being stuck in his car, in a snow drift no less, she has no idea. All she knows is that she's freezing.

...

They'd just pulled out of the parking lot of the bar when she'd first noticed the weird rumbling sound coming from somewhere in the car. He seemed to notice, too, but neither of them mentioned it. The radio was awkwardly playing a Christmas song – completely ignoring the fact that Christmas had been over a month ago.

When the snow picked up just a few minutes later, Spencer started feeling a bit uneasy about the situation. Wren took a left turn, just barely missing a big snow-covered tree by a few feet. The tires screeched and Spencer gripped her seatbelt for something to hold onto.

"I'd say the weather is working against us tonight", Wren took his eyes off the empty road for a moment and smiled at her. She gave him an anxious smile back, just barely mumbling a _yeah_ under her breath. Somehow she couldn't help but think that in any bad horror flick, they would've already smashed the car into one of the fields surrounding the road.

Just as Wren reassuringly touched her arm and opened his mouth to speak, the car made that horrible noise again, only louder this time. Now officially spooked, Spencer let her head fall back against the car seat.

"What was that noise? I wasn't sure I heard it before but now I am. You did hear that as well, right? I'm not going crazy?" She turned her head slightly towards him and found him watching her concerned and slightly amused.

"Well, I'm certainly hoping it's not another zombie trying to latch onto my car because I left my scalpels at the hospital this morning." He laughed, not expecting the slap on his arm. "Careful there! I doubt you want me to drive us into that cornfield.."

"That's not funny! I'm serious. Is the car okay?" He lifted his eyebrows in response, the smile still playing on his lips. "Okay can we please just pull over and check? After that you're allowed to diagnose me with Paranoia."

Not wanting to risk another slap, he slowed the car down and stopped in the middle of the road. Spencer let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. This time the smile on his face was completely gone and instead concern was taking over his features.

"Are you all right?" he turned his body towards her, trying to get a better look. She forced a smile.

"Yes. Today's just not really been a great day and now it's snowing like crazy and it's dark out and we're on a lonely road god knows where and I had a few shots and-" Wren put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to stop her seemingly endless sentence, which proved to be strangely effective.

"Whoa! Slow down a bit there, Spencer. Everything's okay. Cars make noises sometimes. That doesn't mean we're going to be stuck here!" She laughed nervously, trying to calm herself down. He noticed tears forming in her eyes.

"Are you sure there's nothing else bothering you? Because we're in no hurry to get on."

"It's okay." She quickly wiped the tear from her eye. "Can you just go take a look if the car's all right? I just want to make sure."

"Of course," he says, grabbing the keys and opening the door, "I'll be right back."

As she watched him put the hood up, she tried to get her nerves to relax. _Freaking out won't help you_, she told herself. _You're here now and there's nothing you can do about it._ Glad that Wren couldn't see her through the hood, she reached for a tissue to dab at her eyes and quietly wiped her nose. She also found a pack of gum and took out a stick, happy about the distraction of chewing.

Moments later, Wren opened the door to the driver's seat, looking a bit on edge.

"Did you find anything?" Spencer nervously clicked her gum.

"Well, I'm no expert on car machinery but I think when there's smoke coming out from underneath of the hood of the car, something must be wrong." He tried a tiny smile to brighten the mood.

"Please tell me you're joking!" She studied his expression carefully. "You _are_ joking, aren't you?" He shrugged in response, his face unreadable. Without wasting any more time, Spencer got out of the car.

It only took her a second to see that Wren wasn't joking.

...

"So what now?" Spencer sat in the front seat of the car with her arms crossed. "We can't stay here all night!" She made a mental note to personally thank Melissa for ditching her earlier, ultimately letting her get into this situation. The logical concept behind that might've been flawed but somehow blaming someone else made her feel a little better.

"We might not have to. I've tried to call a car towing company but I don't seem to get any signal out here. Have you tried your phone?" How he could think so rationally in this situation, she had no idea. She added a mental note to kick herself for not thinking of calling someone sooner.

"No I haven't! Wow, I write 10 page long papers on the history of the French Revolution but I can't remember to simply check my phone. Sometimes I surprise myself..." Despite the terrible situation they were in, they both had to laugh. She quickly broke out of it and grabbed her phone from her bag, hoping to escape this classic horror movie scenario as soon as possible. Within seconds of looking at the display, her hope turned to frustration. "No, No, No, No, No, No, NO! Why would I not get a signal? Why does my stupid phone work for every useless text I've ever received but now, when I actually need it, it doesn't? This is impossible!" She kicked her foot against the glove box.

Wren laughed. Spencer froze, looking at him like he was the one kicking a car.

"How can you laugh right now? I'm having a nervous breakdown!"

They looked at each other in silence for a moment before simultaneously bursting out in laughter.

...

Minutes later, when the laughing had finally stopped (on account of them being breathless), Wren looked around the car.

"You know, we should probably see what kind of food and warm clothing we can find. I just don't feel comfortable with the car running as long as that black smoke is still there." They had previously bonded over the fact that neither of them had the slightest clue about the inner workings of a car and she had worked hard to keep the LOST smoke monster joke to herself.

Spencer nodded in agreement. She was over the initial shock and ready to start thinking reasonably again. "You don't happen to keep blankets in your car, do you? Because I'm starting to get cold."

He reached behind the seat, seemingly trying to find something underneath it. After literally bending over backwards, he finally removed his arm, clutching a red blanket.

"Wow! You actually keep a blanket in here? We should be happy we're not in my car right now. All we'd find in there is my chemistry book and a field hockey stick…" He threw the blanket at her, just missing her face.

"Well, what can I say? I like to come prepared for all possible situations." He smiled.

"Then we better be happy it's not those zombies you were talking about earlier because you did not come prepared for them today…" She laughed while she looked around the painstakingly clean car. "Speaking of things that'll keep us warm at night… you don't also happen to have a minibar in here, do you? Because I'm pretty sure a glass of scotch would be _very_ helpful." She raised her eyebrows in anticipation of what he'd do next but he just casually reached behind the seat again, shuffling around for a while before finally holding up a half empty bottle of Scotch.

Spencer let out a gasp. "You've got to be kidding me!" She looked from him to the bottle and back again. "How the hell did you just do that?" A giggle escaped her throat and she reached for the bottle. "Are you sure you didn't go to Hogwarts? Did Professor Quirrell teach you how to do that in Muggle Studies?" She kept laughing, only stopping shortly to take a sip of the Scotch and he joined in, taking the bottle from her again.

"Are you mocking my heritage? You know Hogwarts was a dark time of my adolescent life and I don't appreciate you laughing at me. No more scotch for the young lady perpetuating stereotypes!" Quickly they had gotten to that point in their natural banter where everything was funny and both of them were laughing hysterically.

"But seriously – why do you have half a bottle of Scotch lying around your car?" She fought the urge to laugh again and continued her interrogation. "I mean what kind of situation would possibly require for you to need some scotch?"

"I just thought it might be a good idea to keep some kind of alcoholic beverage here just in case!" He shrugged it off and laughed.

"And you're aware just how ridiculous that sounds, right?" She took the open bottle he was holding out for her and took another sip. "Tastes kind of old…"

"It could be! It's probably been there for a while, I rarely long for a glass of scotch while I'm driving to work." She gave him a bewildered look. "I'm British! I get to keep Scotch in my car!"

"Whatever you say, Captain Jack!" And so the laughing fits continued.

...

"I'm kind of cold…" Spencer felt herself shaking underneath the blanket. Wren protectively pulled the blanket up higher over her shoulders. She gave him a grateful smile.

"We should really just go into the back of the car. There's a lot more space." Spencer seemed to consider this for a while before reaching down to take off her shoes.

"You're right!" She held out the Scotch and the blanket. "Could you hold this for a second?" He took both items from her hands. "Thanks."

It wasn't easy, climbing into the backseat without hitting her head but after a few moments of fumbling around, she finally landed in the backseat. Wren wordlessly handed her the blanket and the now ¾ empty bottle of Scotch and climbed in after her.

She looked at him, all of the sudden pressed up against her side and finally snapped out of her daze. For the first time in the past hour, the _being stuck in a car with Wren-_situation didn't just seem okay but maybe even ideal.

A shiver ran through her body, making her wonder if it was due to the cold or his close proximity. He must've felt her body shiver, because he reached for the blanket and started spreading it over them.

"You know, speaking as _Doctor _Kingston, I'd have to advise you that body heat would be the perfect way to fight the cold. A healthier alternative from the alcohol as well." He stared at her, seemingly waiting for her reaction.

She started nodding slowly, a smile spreading on her face. "So what you're saying is, Dr. Kingston, that body heat might be the way to save both of us from certain death?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"That is precisely what I'm saying, Ms. Hastings. And might I recommend that we remove some articles of clothing as well? Body heat works best with little to no layers." She desperately wanted to laugh at that statement but his serious expression and insistent look made it hard for her not to obey. He really would be a great doctor someday.

"Well, in that case…" She took a sip of the scotch and offered the bottle to him. "One last drink before the final surgery of the day?" He took the bottle out of her hand, fingers grazing hers. As he raised the bottle to his lips, she quickly slipped out of her skirt. After that she unbuttoned her blouse, leaving her in just a tank top and tights. She threw both items of clothing into the front of the car.

When she looked to her left, she caught him watching her intently.

"What?" As she smiled, he reached up to unbutton his shirt, fully aware of the way she was looking at him now. He then took off his pants, making her wonder how he wasn't freezing yet. After pushing his clothes to the floor, he turned to her again.

"I hope you don't mind," he laughed," I must've left my tights at home again. Such a pity…" They both laughed, until Spencer finally broke eye contact.

"Can we please just get under the blanket now? I think I might drop dead soon." She got up and motioned for him to lie down across the seats, which turned out to be rather hard since the backseat of a car isn't exactly the size of a bed. He still did, drawing his knees up a bit. He scooted closer to the edge of the seat, leaving her room to lie down in between him and the backrest, which she did after accidentally stepping on his arm.

"You know, I might have bruises from that tomorrow!" He exclaimed laughing while he pulled up the blanket over them.

"As long as you'll still be alive, I think a few bruises won't ruin your life," she giggled, pushing at his chest and almost pushing him off the seat. He grabbed the seat with one hand and her thigh with the other to stop himself from falling.

Spencer shrieked, grabbing onto him to help him. "Sorry about that… Despite my actions of the night, I promise I don't actually want to kill you!" She bit her lip and looked up at him.

"I forgive you for trying to assassinate me then, agent Spencer." He smiled and winked at her while somehow simultaneously scanning her face up and down. Her breathing got heavier when she realized he was staring at her lips. "I might be repeating myself but I'm desperate to kiss you, assuming that there's nothing to keep you from kissing me right now." Instead of taking the time to form a verbal response, Spencer moved her body forward the tiniest bit and since they were practically on a square inch of space, it was enough for her to end up completely pressed up against him.

Before either of them was able to form a coherent sentence, their lips were touching. It was just a little peck at first. Spencer pulled back to look at him before quickly moving back in. She tried to get closer to him, which was impossible due to the amount of space available in the back of the car so they decided, seemingly at the same time, to get more comfortable by lying on top of each other. Once she was seated comfortably on top of him, she immediately moved her lips back down to his.

His hands pushed at the sides of her tank top and she wished she would've just taken it off before. Sitting up to take it off required more willpower than she thought she possessed in that moment but she did it quickly, moaning at the loss of contact.

Wren immediately pulled her close again. She pushed her tongue out to meet his and sighed into his mouth. She made a mental note to erase the mental note about Melissa she made earlier and to instead remember to thank Melissa for ditching her at the bar earlier. Thinking about the turn of events the night had taken made her laugh and she buried her face in the crook of his neck, giggling.

"What are you laughing about there?" He whispered, using his hand to pull her face up. She bit her lip to keep from laughing but ultimately it took her three tries to start talking without bursting into laughter.

"I was just thinking how I went from believing I would die out here like a character in a really bad horror movie to doing… well", she closed the small gap between them and whispered, "this", just before her lips collided with his again.

...

She wakes up in the back of the car, naked, disoriented and extremely tired. It can't be later than 7 AM because the sun is just rising and she sighs. Sitting up right now sounds like the worst thing she could possibly do but she does anyway, reaching for her top and panties, both of which are on the floor. Behind her, Wren stirs, possibly waking up with the same pain in his lower back from sleeping in the backseat of a car. She feels a hand reaching out for her and turns her head to look down at him.

"Good Morning", she says, sounding more awake than she was expecting. He doesn't answer, just pulls her down into a kiss. She laughs and tries to slip out of his grasp but he's stronger. Eventually she manages to pull away long enough to get a few words in.

"Just let me check my phone and I'll be right back." She slips out of the backseat before he can say anything. Grabbing her phone, she climbs back into the backseat and sits down.

"Still no service. This is why I could never live on a farm." She sneaks a look at the clock on her phone. 7:48 AM – later than she thought. Wren reaches for her arms and tries to pull her down on top of him but she protests.

"Please don't. My back hurts so much, I'm going to have to undergo physical therapy before I can ever sleep in the backseat of your car again." He laughs and sits up. Spencer can see the exact moment he feels the pain in his back. He lets out a trail of curses.

"Well that's one way to start of the day!" Spencer throws his shirt at him.

"You know what I should do?" He looks a bit confused which of course looks adorable on him. "I should really install a coffee maker in my car. Because I don't think I can move before I get some coffee."

"How very insightful considering it's only 8 AM, Mr. Kingston." She stretches her arms above her head.

"Maybe we should just get dressed and drive a few minutes. There's got to be people living here somewhere." He turns his head to the side, while massaging his neck, and looks out the window. "It seems like it stopped snowing as well."

"Yeah, I doubt the car will explode any time soon." Both of them laugh while they start getting dressed in silence. Finally they climb back into the front seat. "We might have overreacted just slightly last night when we decided to stay out here."

"You know, you're going to have to help me with that bursa sac once we get to my place", she smiles in his direction, "that's the least you can do after you made me sleep in such an uncomfortable position!"

"Well, I do keep some massage oil in the trunk of my car." Spencer raised an eyebrow, looking at him incredulously, "One does not come unfortified to the house of Hastings!"


End file.
